Volcanic Eruption on Japanese Island Forces Residents to Evacuate

A sudden volcanic eruption in a remote island in Japan on Friday threw up black smoke, thousands of metres into the air.

The concerned residents were forced to leave the island by boats while an airline had to immediately reroute its flight plans to attend to the ensuing panic.

The little island of Kuchinoerabujima witnessed a pyroclastic display of hot gas and rocks roll down the sides of Mount Shindake into the nearby ocean.

The resulting explosions resulted in a thick blanket of smoke and the lingering smell of sulphur in the air, forced the 137 residents on the island to flee with their bags and belongings.

Fortunately no reports of any major injuries or deaths were reported during evacuation.

The residents then went to the nearest island of Yakushima, which was more than an hour away from Kuchinoerabujima.

In an interview to Fuji Tv, one resident said, "All I could bring were a few emergency goods. It was utter chaos. I'm really worried about things back home."

Mount Shindake has been dormant for close to 34 years until last year. The last major volcanic eruption in 1933 killed 8 people on the island.

With Japan being one of the most seismically sensitive parts of the planet, there has been in an increase in volcanic activity over the last weeks.

63 people were killed in 2014 in a volcanic explosion on Mount Ontake in Central Japan.

Many scientists feel that these volcanic eruptions may somehow be linked to the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 2011 that resulted in the deaths of 20,000 people in Japan.